SEC East field design concepts

Notice any subtle changes to field designs in the SEC this season?

Some programs in the East could use a fresh look, so we’ve come up with a few ideas of our own, incorporating more secondary logos and colors on the turf.

The SEC’s last major field design overhaul came at Mizzou in 2012 before the Tigers’ first SEC season. Mizzou installed artificial turf, increased its ‘oval Tiger’ primary logo and placed oversized SEC logos on its new canvas for a noticeable improvement, especially on television.

South Carolina’s joined a few others in promoting state secondary graphics with palmetto tree and crescent moon images on the 25-yard lines in recent years.

Here’s a couple ideas for new designs for each program in the East:

FLORIDA — Keep the midfield logo, but alter the end zones to promote a Nike Pro Combat feel featuring blue and orange painted amphibian scales fading into stylized Florida Gators wordmarks. All that’s left is adding the swoosh at each goal line.

KENTUCKY — It’s not original since Boise State founded the ‘Smurf Turf’, but why not incorporate artificial BLUE GRASS into the gameday experience in Lexington? To avoid clashing colors, white end zones with a blue checkerboard finish inside Kentucky’s wordmark would be ideal.

MIZZOU — Perfection. Taking the Tigers’ alternate logo to another level, this midfield graphic would be college football’s largest, stretching 50 yards across the field. Tiger-striped end zones would give Mizzou the SEC’s best graphically-enhanced field.

GEORGIA — We kept the team’s historic ‘G’, but placed it elsewhere (on the 25s) to give the Bulldogs’ new secondary logo its proper stage. Georgia’s updated wordmarks have been placed in each end zone, replacing the shadowed block letters.

SOUTH CAROLINA — Garnet end zones give the field at Williams-Brice Stadium a throwback look. We thought about bringing back the diamonds, but this would work.

VANDERBILT — Replacing the ‘Star V’ with a secondary anchor at midfield isn’t appealing and wouldn’t give the Commodores a recognizable logo. The end zones could use an update however.

TENNESSEE — The Vols have yet to incorporate their new secondary color — grey — into their field design. We did it for them, complete with checkered end zones to keep tradition alive in Rocky Top.